Ii Samuelis 14

1 intellegens autem Ioab filius Sarviae quod cor regis versum esset ad Absalom

Now Joab, the son of Zeruiah, understood that the heart of the king had been turned toward Absalom,

2 misit Thecuam et tulit inde mulierem sapientem dixitque ad eam lugere te simula et induere veste lugubri et ne unguaris oleo ut sis quasi mulier plurimo iam tempore lugens mortuum

so he sent to Tekoa, and he brought from there a wise woman. And he said to her: “Feign that you are in mourning, and put on the clothing of one who mourns. And do not anoint yourself with oil, so that you may be like a woman who is still grieving for someone who died some time ago.

3 et ingredieris ad regem et loqueris ad eum sermones huiuscemodi posuit autem Ioab verba in ore eius

And you shall enter to the king, and you shall speak words to him in this manner.” Then Joab put the words in her mouth.

4 itaque cum ingressa fuisset mulier thecuites ad regem cecidit coram eo super terram et adoravit et dixit serva me rex

And so, when the woman of Tekoa had entered to the king, she fell before him on the ground, and she reverenced, and she said, “Save me, O king.”

5 et ait ad eam rex quid causae habes quae respondit heu mulier vidua ego sum mortuus est enim vir meus

And the king said to her, “What problem do you have?” And she responded: “Alas, I am a woman who is a widow. For my husband has died.

6 et ancillae tuae erant duo filii qui rixati sunt adversum se in agro nullusque erat qui eos prohibere posset et percussit alter alterum et interfecit eum

And your handmaid had two sons. And they quarreled against one another in the field. And there was no one there who would be able to stop them. And one struck the other, and killed him.

7 et ecce consurgens universa cognatio adversum ancillam tuam dicit trade eum qui percussit fratrem suum ut occidamus eum pro anima fratris sui quem interfecit et deleamus heredem et quaerunt extinguere scintillam meam quae relicta est ut non supersit viro meo nomen et reliquiae super terram

And behold, the whole family, rising up against your handmaid, said: ‘Deliver him who struck down his brother, so that we may kill him for the life of his brother, whom he killed, and so that we may do away with the heir.’ And they are seeking to extinguish my spark that is left, so that there may not survive a name for my husband, nor a remnant upon the earth.”

8 et ait rex ad mulierem vade in domum tuam et ego iubebo pro te

And the king said to the woman, “Go to your own house, and I will make a decree on your behalf.”

9 dixitque mulier thecuites ad regem in me domine mi rex iniquitas et in domum patris mei rex autem et thronus eius sit innocens

And the woman of Tekoa said to the king: “May the iniquity be upon me, my lord, and upon the house of my father. But may the king and his throne be innocent.”

10 et ait rex qui contradixerit tibi adduc eum ad me et ultra non addet ut tangat te

And the king said, “Whoever will contradict you, bring him to me, and he will never touch you again.”

11 quae ait recordetur rex Domini Dei sui ut non multiplicentur proximi sanguinis ad ulciscendum et nequaquam interficient filium meum qui ait vivit Dominus quia non cadet de capillis filii tui super terram

And she said, “Let the king remember the Lord his God, so that close blood relatives may not be multiplied in order to take revenge, and so that they may by no means kill my son.” And he said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair from your son shall fall to the ground.”

12 dixit ergo mulier loquatur ancilla tua ad dominum meum regem verbum et ait loquere

Then the woman said, “Let your handmaid speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”

13 dixitque mulier quare cogitasti istiusmodi rem contra populum Dei et locutus est rex verbum istud ut peccet et non reducat eiectum suum

And the woman said: “Why have you thought such a thing against the people of God, and why has the king spoken this word, so that he sins and does not lead back the one whom he rejected?

14 omnes morimur et quasi aquae delabimur in terram quae non revertuntur nec vult perire Deus animam sed retractat cogitans ne penitus pereat qui abiectus est

We are all dying, and we are all like waters that flow into the ground and do not return. God does not will to lose a soul. Instead, he renews his efforts, thinking that what has been rejected might not perish altogether.

15 nunc igitur veni ut loquar ad regem dominum meum verbum hoc praesente populo et dixit ancilla tua loquar ad regem si quo modo faciat rex verbum ancillae suae

Therefore, now I have come to speak this word to my lord the king, in the presence of the people. And your handmaid said: I will speak to the king, for perhaps there may be some way for the king to accomplish the word of his handmaid.

16 et audivit rex ut liberaret ancillam suam de manu omnium qui volebant delere me et filium meum simul de hereditate Dei

And the king listened, and he freed his handmaid from the hand of all who were willing to take away me and my son together, from the inheritance of God.

17 dicat ergo ancilla tua ut fiat verbum domini mei regis quasi sacrificium sicut enim angelus Dei sic est dominus meus rex ut nec benedictione nec maledictione moveatur unde et Dominus Deus tuus est tecum

Therefore, let your handmaid speak, so that the word of my lord the king may be like a sacrifice. For even like an Angel of God, so is my lord the king, so that he is moved by neither a blessing, nor a curse. Then too, the Lord your God is with you.”

18 et respondens rex dixit ad mulierem ne abscondas a me verbum quod te interrogo dixitque mulier loquere domine mi rex

And in response, the king said to the woman, “You shall not conceal from me a word of what I ask you.” And the woman said to him, “Speak, my lord the king.”

19 et ait rex numquid manus Ioab tecum est in omnibus istis respondit mulier et ait per salutem animae tuae domine mi rex nec ad dextram nec ad sinistram est ex omnibus his quae locutus est dominus meus rex servus enim tuus Ioab ipse praecepit mihi et ipse posuit in os ancillae tuae omnia verba haec

And the king said, “Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this?” And the woman answered and said: “By the welfare of your soul, my lord the king, it is neither to the left, nor to the right, in all these things that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab himself instructed me, and he himself placed all these words in the mouth of your handmaid.

20 ut verterem figuram sermonis huius servus tuus Ioab praecepit istud tu autem domine mi sapiens es sicut habet sapientiam angelus Dei ut intellegas omnia super terram

Thus did I turn to this figure of speech, because your servant Joab instructed it. But you, my lord the king, are wise, just as an Angel of God has wisdom, so that you understand all that is upon the earth.”

21 et ait rex ad Ioab ecce placatus feci verbum tuum vade igitur et revoca puerum Absalom

And the king said to Joab: “Behold, your word has succeeded in appeasing me. Therefore, go and call back the boy Absalom.”

22 cadensque Ioab super faciem suam in terram adoravit et benedixit regi et dixit Ioab hodie intellexit servus tuus quia inveni gratiam in oculis tuis domine mi rex fecisti enim sermonem servi tui

And falling to the ground upon his face, Joab reverenced, and he blessed the king. And Joab said: “Today your servant has understood that I have found grace in your sight, my lord the king. For you have accomplished the word of your servant.”

23 surrexit ergo Ioab et abiit in Gessur et adduxit Absalom in Hierusalem

Then Joab rose up, and he went away to Geshur. And he brought Absalom into Jerusalem.

24 dixit autem rex revertatur in domum suam et faciem meam non videat reversus est itaque Absalom in domum suam et faciem regis non vidit

But the king said, “Let him return to his own house, but let him not see my face.” And so, Absalom returned to his own house, but he did not see the face of the king.

25 porro sicut Absalom vir non erat pulcher in omni Israhel et decorus nimis a vestigio pedis usque ad verticem non erat in eo ulla macula

Now in all of Israel, there was no man so handsome, and so very stately as Absalom. From the sole of the foot to the top of the head, there was no blemish in him.

26 et quando tondebatur capillum semel autem in anno tondebatur quia gravabat eum caesaries ponderabat capillos capitis sui ducentis siclis pondere publico

And when he shaved off his hair, for he shaved it off once a year, because his long hair was burdensome to him, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, by the public weights.

27 nati sunt autem Absalom filii tres et filia una nomine Thamar eleganti forma

Then three sons were born to Absalom, and one daughter, of elegant form, whose name was Tamar.

28 mansitque Absalom Hierusalem duobus annis et faciem regis non vidit

And Absalom remained for two years in Jerusalem, and he did not see the face of the king.

29 misit itaque ad Ioab ut mitteret eum ad regem qui noluit venire ad eum cumque secundo misisset et ille noluisset venire

And so, he sent to Joab, so that he might send him to the king. But he refused to come to him. And when he had sent a second time, and he had refused to come to him,

30 dixit servis suis scitis agrum Ioab iuxta agrum meum habentem messem hordei ite igitur et succendite eum igni succenderunt ergo servi Absalom segetem igni

he said to his servants: “You know that the field of Joab, the one that is near my field, has a harvest of barley. Therefore, go and set it on fire.” And so, the servants of Absalom set fire to the grain field. And the servants of Joab, arriving with their garments torn, said, “The servants of Absalom have set fire to part of the field!”

31 surrexitque Ioab et venit ad Absalom in domum eius et dixit quare succenderunt servi tui segetem meam igni

And Joab rose up, and he went to Absalom at his house, and he said, “Why have your servants set fire to my grain field?”

32 et respondit Absalom ad Ioab misi ad te obsecrans ut venires ad me et mitterem te ad regem ut diceres ei quare veni de Gessur melius mihi erat ibi esse obsecro ergo ut videam faciem regis quod si memor est iniquitatis meae interficiat me

And Absalom responded to Joab: “I sent to you, begging that you might come to me, and that I might send you to the king, and that you might say to him: ‘Why was I brought from Geshur? It would have been better for me to be there.’ I beg you, therefore, that I may see the face of the king. And if he is mindful of my iniquity, let him put me to death.”

33 ingressus Ioab ad regem nuntiavit ei vocatusque Absalom intravit ad regem et adoravit super faciem terrae coram eo osculatusque est rex Absalom

And so, Joab, entering to the king, reported everything to him. And Absalom was summoned. And he entered to the king, and he reverenced on the face of the earth. And the king kissed Absalom.